Does youth participation increase the democratic legitimacy of UNFCCC-orchestrated global climate change governance?

Youth NGOs have participated in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for over a decade, yet research into their experiences is lacking. Drawing upon an ethnographic case study conducted between 2015 and 2018, we ask: does youth participation increase the democratic legitimacy of a UNFCCC-orchestrated global climate change regime? Applying the concepts of 'input' and 'throughput' legitimacy, we find that the UNFCCC offers an accessible entry-point for young newcomers into climate governance, but this does not necessarily lead to engagement in orchestrated initiatives. A potential exception to this is Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) which we identify as an overlooked example of UNFCCC orchestration. We thus propose a conceptual distinction between 'exclusive' and 'inclusive' orchestration, the former merely connecting likeminded intermediaries while the latter broadens inclusion and actively redresses power imbalances, urging more proactive pursuit of democratic legitimacy, including youth engagement from the UNFCCC Secretariat and COP Presidencies.

Automated summary

This study examines the experiences of youth NGOs participating in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and their impact on the democratic legitimacy of the global climate change regime. The findings suggest that while UNFCCC offers an entry-point for young people into climate governance, it may not necessarily lead to their engagement in orchestrated initiatives, unless there are exceptions such as Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE).